Water management header for a boiler or water heater

ABSTRACT

Disclosed is an inventive water management header and method for making the same. The water management header is attached to a boiler or water heater. The water management header includes a cylindrical shell that at least partially defines an interior region. Inner and outer series of heat exchange tubes extend within the interior region of the shell from a lower end of the shell to an upper end of the shell. The header is capable of being configured to provide a unique fluid flow pattern through the boiler or water heater relative to another water heater or boiler of similar design via a waterway primary inlet, outlet, a plurality of crossovers and a plurality of barriers.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to and benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/349,278, filed Jun. 13, 2016, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Heat exchangers are devices for transferring heat from one medium to another, typically from one fluid to another or to a surrounding environment, without allowing the fluids to mix. Some examples are: automobile radiators; air conditioners, and steam hot water radiators, and water boilers and heating systems, which are used to produce or remove heat.

Commercial and residential water heaters typically heat water by generating tens of thousands, and even hundreds of thousands, of British Thermal Units (“BTUs”). The performance of a water heater may be considered in terms of the efficiency of the water heater, that is, the effectiveness of the water heater in transferring heat to an associated fluid flow. Various factors, such as the physical configuration of the water heater and/or the physical configuration of other components in a water heater system, for example, may impart undesirable characteristics to the fluid flow that can, in turn, adversely affect the performance of the fluid heater. For example, the number of times a fluid passes a heat source and/or the load of the water heater, i.e., the amount of temperature change necessary, directly affects the efficiency of a water heater.

Various heat exchangers are used for different applications. A different heat exchanger might be used for an application requiring a large temperature change between a cold fluid inlet and a warm fluid outlet as opposed to an application requiring a smaller temperature change.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

To improve heat exchanger efficiency and versatility as well as provide other benefits, disclosed is an inventive water management header that can be used with a heat exchanger such as a boiler or water heater. The water management header includes a shell that at least partially defines an interior region.

An inner series of heat exchange tubes and an outer series of heat exchange tubes extends within the interior region of the shell from a lower end of the shell to an upper end of the shell. The water management header is positioned in the upper and/or lower end of the shell and receives water from the heat exchange tubes within the shell. The shell is generally cylindrical.

The header includes a cover and an interior region. A plurality of crossovers may be within the interior region of the cover and in fluid flow communication with the outer series of heat exchange tubes. A waterway primary outlet is within the interior of the cover and in fluid flow communication with the inner series of heat exchange tubes. A retainer is also within the interior of the cover and divides the interior of the cover into an undivided waterway and a divided crossover area.

The present apparatus is capable of providing a unique fluid flow throughout the inner series of heat exchange tube and/or the outer series of heat exchange tubes. The plurality of crossovers along with the waterway primary outlet may customize the fluid flow via various placements and a plurality of supports alternately positioned between a plurality of through holes and a plurality of barriers.

A method of manufacturing a boiler or water heater includes positioning a waterway primary inlet such that inlet openings of the waterway primary inlet are aligned to receive water from the heat exchange tubes. The method also includes selecting from among the inlet openings of the waterway primary inlet a set of inlet openings to be in flow communication with one another. Barriers are positioned in the waterway primary inlet such that they are retained by supports of the waterway primary inlet, permit flow between the set of inlet openings, and restrict flow between the set of inlet openings and other inlet openings of the waterway primary inlet.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows an exploded view of the inventive water management header in accordance with aspects of the present invention;

FIG. 2A shows a top water management header attached to a water heater shell according to aspects of the present invention;

FIG. 2B shows a bottom water management header attached to a water heater shell in accordance with aspects of the present invention;

FIGS. 3A-3D show a cross over component of the water management header of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 4A-4E show elevation, perspective, top, and cross-sectional views, respectively, of a waterway primary outlet of the water management header of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4F shows a barrier support that is within the waterway primary outlet of FIG. 4A;

FIGS. 5A-5C show perspective, top, and cross-sectional views, respectively, of a top cover of the water management header of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 6A-6C show perspective, front, and side views, respectively, of a barrier of the water management header of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 7A-7C show perspective, top, and cross-sectional views of a seal of the water management header of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 8A-8 c show perspective, top, and cross-sectional views, respectively, of a bottom cover of the water management header of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 9A and 9B show perspective and top views, respectively, of a waterway primary inlet of the water management header of FIG. 1;

FIG. 9C shows a barrier support that is within the waterway primary inlet of FIG. 8A;

FIG. 9D shows a cross-sectional view of the waterway primary inlet of FIG. 8A;

FIG. 10 shows a further embodiment of a water management header according to aspects of the present invention;

FIGS. 11A-11C show a perspective top-side view as well as a perspective and elevated bottom-side view of an inverted water primary outlet of FIG. 10;

FIGS. 12A-13B illustrate additional embodiments of an inverted top manifold and an inverted bottom manifold in accordance with aspects of the present invention;

FIG. 14A illustrates an additional embodiment of a water management header having a water primary inlet connected directly to a tube sheet according to aspects of the invention;

FIG. 14B illustrates a cross-sectional view of the embodiment of FIG. 14A; and

FIG. 15 illustrates another embodiment of a water management header having a gasket positioned between a water primary outlet and tube sheet in accordance with aspects of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Disclosed is an inventive water management header that can be attached to a heat exchanger, such as a boiler or water heater 2, as shown in FIGS. 1, 2A, and 2B. The water heater or boiler 2 further has a water inlet 22 and a water outlet 24. Desirably, a top header 50 is positioned at an upper end of the shell 4 and/or a bottom header 52 is at the bottom end of the shell 4. Each of the headers 50 and 52 contains the water management header 10 for providing the unique fluid flow between the heat exchange tubes. This includes a waterway crossover section 20, a waterway 18 and a retainer 16. The retainer 16 is a barrier separating the waterway crossover section 20 from the waterway 18.

The water management header 10 includes a shell 4 that at least partially defines an interior region 48. The shell 4 may have a generally cylindrical shape. The shape of the shell 4 is not limited to any particular geometrical shape. An inner series of heat exchange tubes 6 and an outer series of heat exchange tubes 8 extends within the interior region 48 of the shell 4 from a lower end of the shell 4 to an upper end of the shell 4.

The water management header 10 is positioned in the upper end of the shell 4 and receives water from the outer series of heat exchange tubes 8. The water management header 10 includes a cover 12 and an undivided waterway 18. A retainer 16 is within the interior of the cover 12 and divides the interior of the cover 12 into the undivided waterway 18 and a divided crossover section 20. A plurality of crossovers 14 are within the crossover section 20 of the cover 12 and in fluid flow communication with the outer series of heat exchange tubes 8, a waterway primary outlet 26 within the interior of the cover 12 and in fluid flow communication with the inner series of heat exchange tubes 6. A gasket 17 is provided between the retainer 16 and the waterway primary outlet 26.

The lower header 52 includes a lower cover 44 (shown in FIGS. 8A-8C) and has an inlet through hole 46 and a half-toroidal shape. A waterway primary inlet 38 has a plurality of waterway primary inlet through holes 40. While the cover 12 has a through hole 32, there is no such through hole in the lower cover 44 as it is not necessary in this embodiment. However, should an upward fired blower be used in the disclosed embodiments, a cover with a through hole should be provided to allow for the addition of a combustion device.

The cover 12 and the waterway primary outlet 26 are separate components. The cover 12 may be drawn from a metallic sheet. Also, the cover 12 and the crossovers 14 are separate components. The geometry of the crossovers 14 is shown in FIGS. 3A-3C. Each crossover 14 is rounded and is sized to encompass an outlet and an inlet of the outer series of tubes 8. Although each crossover 14 is rounded in FIGS. 1-3, and 10, the crossovers 14 may form any geometric shape that enables the crossovers 14 to direct fluid flow from one tube to another tube, e.g., between the outer series of tubes 8. The inlet (or plurality of inlets, as discussed in more detail below) provides water to the crossover 14 at a crossover inlet 15, and water exits the crossover 14 at a crossover outlet 19. The crossovers 14 may have projections 68 that facilitate a water tight seal with the gasket 17 or 66.

Each crossover 14 is preferably molded from polymeric material. Other materials including various metals, such as copper and aluminum are also possible. The crossovers 14 and retainer 16 may also be separate components. Together, the crossovers 14 and the retainer 16 contain water and direct water flow between the inner series of tubes 6 and the outer series of tubes 8.

The inner series of tubes 6 and the outer series of tubes 8 selectively connect to any of the crossovers 14 to provide for a selective and unique water flow pattern between the water inlet 22 and water outlet 24 throughout the series of tubes 6, 8. As such, the fluid flow path between any of the tubes is determined, in part, by how the crossovers 14 are configured. Each crossover 14 connects at least two of the ends of the series of heat exchange tubes 6, 8. Longer crossovers 14 can be used to connect three or more tubes or tubes that are in close proximity to each other but not necessarily neighboring each other.

The fluid flow path, along with the fluid flow characteristics, may also be adjusted by way of various configurations in the waterway primary outlet 26 and/or waterway primary inlet 38. The waterway primary outlet 26 directs the fluid flow from one tube to another tube, e.g., of the inner series of heat exchanger tubes 6. In one embodiment, illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 4, the water primary outlet 26 defines water inlet openings 40. The water inlet openings 40 are positioned to receive water, such as by aligning with the openings of the inner series of tubes 6. The water primary outlet 26 may not include water inlet openings 40, e.g., as later described with regard to an inverted water primary outlet 62 and/or 262.

As shown in FIGS. 9A-9D, the waterway primary inlet 38 is configured similar to that of the waterway primary outlet 26. However, there is no need to connect the waterway primary inlet 38 to a water heater outlet (or inlet) as with the waterway primary outlet 26. Hence, there is no need for a waterway outlet 43. The waterway primary outlet 26 is juxtaposed between the inner series 6 of tubes and the retainer 16. The retainer 16 is perforated to allow fluid flow between the retainer 16 and the waterway 18. The waterway primary outlet 26 receives fluid from a first tube of the inner series of tubes 6 and supplies fluid to a second tube of the inner series of tubes 6.

With reference to FIGS. 4A-4F and FIGS. 9A-9D, barriers 36 are retained by supports 34, e.g., between the water inlet openings 40. The barriers 36 divide the area within the waterway primary outlet 26 or waterway primary inlet 38 into redirecting compartments 35 and/or a crossover area within the waterway primary outlet 26. The supports 34 are essentially channels that are within the waterway primary outlet and between each of the water inlet openings 40. The supports are shaped to receive the barriers 36. The barriers 36 are like walls that are shaped to extend across the crossover section 20 within the waterway 18.

The barriers 36 can be placed in any of the supports 34 to produce redirecting compartments 35. As such, fluid flow of a water heater or boiler 2 using aspects of the inventive subject matter may not be limited to one path. During construction of the water heater or boiler, fluid flow is determined based on where barriers 36 are positioned in the waterway primary outlet 26. The barriers 36 can be positioned in every other support, or they can be positioned in an asymmetrical pattern within the waterway primary outlet 26. Placement of the barriers 36 is dependent on the requirements of the water heater or boiler and the desired fluid flow path throughout the water heater or boiler. Accordingly, in one embodiment of this invention, the water management header 10 can provide flexibility in the arrangement, reconfiguration, and modification of the fluid flow path.

Barriers 36 work in conjunction with the waterway primary outlet 26 and a waterway primary inlet 38 (discussed below) in that water enters the waterway primary outlet 26 from one of the tubes of the inner series of tubes 6 into a redirecting compartment 35 that may be bound by the waterway primary outlet 26 on three sides, barriers 36 on two sides, and a tube sheet 27 on a sixth side. After entering into the redirecting compartment 35, the direction of the fluid flow is directed into another tube, e.g., of the inner series of tubes 6, that is fluidly connected to the same redirecting compartment 35; or, alternatively, the fluid flow is directed toward the waterway outlet 43 to exit the water heater or boiler 2.

The redirecting compartment 35 in the waterway primary outlet 26 and/or waterway primary inlet 38 can be expanded by removing one of the barriers 36 so that multiple tubes provide fluid to the same redirecting compartment 35 and/or multiple tubes provide an outlet for the same redirecting compartment 35. Alternatively, the redirecting compartment 35 in the waterway primary outlet 26 can be reduced in size by adding barriers 36.

Any number of variables helps dictate where barriers 36 should be positioned in the waterway primary outlet 26 and/or waterway primary inlet 38 as the number, size, and relative location of the redirecting compartments 35 may be modified based on various positioning of the barriers. For instance, in applications where fluid flow through the boiler or water heater 2 is low, e.g., when the load on the water heater (volumetric flow rate) is low during a given time, fewer passes through the inner and outer heat exchange tubes are necessary to maximize heat transfer to the fluid within the tubes. With fewer passes, fewer barriers 36 are required. The barriers can be spaced out around the waterway primary outlet 26 or, perhaps less preferably, they can be concentrated in one section of the waterway primary outlet 26. In contrast, in applications where fluid flow through the water heater is high, e.g., when the load on the water heater (volumetric flow rate) is high during a given time, the water heater or boiler 2 can be designed to have additional passes. In such an application, more barriers 36 are required in order to help redirect flow throughout the heat exchange tubes 6 and 8. A maximum number of passes throughout the heat exchange tubes requires a barrier 36 to be placed in every other support 34 of the waterway primary outlet 26.

The barriers 36 are preferably affixed to the waterway primary outlet 26 in any manner that provides a watertight seal. Suitable means for affixing the barriers 36 to the waterway primary outlet 26 and/or water primary inlet 38 include adhesives, mechanical means, fastening, bolting, screwing, friction, fusing, welding, etc. It is possible that the waterway primary outlet 26 can be used without the supports 34. In such an instance, the barriers 36 are not limited to the location of the supports 34. Rather, the barriers 36 are placed anywhere in the waterway primary outlet 26 and/or water primary inlet 38 that is necessary to provide the desired number of passes of the fluid flow through the water heater or boiler 2.

The geometry of an embodiment of the barrier 36 is shown in FIGS. 6A-6C. The geometry is not limited to that shown, although preferably the barriers 36 help to provide a watertight seal with the waterway primary inlet 38 and/or the waterway primary outlet 26. The barriers 36 can also be configured in layers. For example, the barriers 36 might include a layer of polyurethane surrounded by layers of a metallic material. With such a sandwiched configuration, the barrier 36 would have a greater coefficient of restitution, which enables the barriers 36 to fit more snuggly in the supports 34.

As shown in FIGS. 7A-7C, seal 28 connects the water outlet 24 to an exterior volume of the water heater or boiler 2 and seals the water outlet 24 from the interior region 48 of the cover 12. The retainer 16 comprises at least one through hole 30 for accessing the waterway primary outlet 26.

The cover 12 has a curved cross section that reduces stress imposed on the cover 12 by fluid pressure. As can thus be seen in FIGS. 5A-5C, one possible configuration of the cover 12 is a half toroid. As such, the cover 12 has a through hole 32 at its center. The through-hole 32 allows combustion gas to enter the water heater.

Thus, the present apparatus is a system that provides a unique fluid flow throughout the inner series tubes 6 and/or the outer series of h tubes 8. The plurality of crossovers 14 along with the waterway primary outlet 26 are customizable via a plurality of supports 34 selectively positioned between a plurality of through holes and a plurality of barriers 36 engaging the plurality of supports 34.

Either or both of the waterway primary outlet 26 or the waterway primary inlet 38 can be inverted from the embodiment discussed above. FIG. 10 shows a further embodiment of a water management header 74, which has an inverted waterway primary outlet 62. As depicted in FIGS. 11A-11C, the inverted waterway primary outlet 62 has a U-shaped cross section. There is no need for through holes 40 in the inverted waterway primary outlet 62 as the portion of the inverted waterway primary outlet 62 that is in communication with the inner series of tubes 6 is the opening of the U-shaped cross section. The inverted water primary outlet 62 has waterway outlet 143, which delineates an opening that permits water to exit the water heater or boiler 2. The inverted water primary outlet 62 may also have a through hole 130, which facilitates fluid flow into and/or out of the waterway in the inverted water primary outlet 62.

A gasket 66 is provided between the inverted waterway primary outlet 62 and the tube sheet 27. One of the benefits of employing the inverted waterway primary outlet 62 is ease of manufacturing. The crossovers 14, and if employed, the projections 68 on the crossovers 14, and the inverted waterway primary outlet 62 engage the gasket 66. This provides more stability and enhanced water tightness.

A U-shaped rectilinear bracket 70 may be placed over a retainer 72. Fasteners engage the U-shaped rectilinear bracket 70 to hold the bracket 70, the retainer 72, the inverted waterway primary outlet 62, the gasket 66, and the tube sheet 27 together in a water management header 74. Bolts or threaded fasteners may extend from either the tube sheet 27 through water management header 74 toward the U-shaped rectilinear bracket 70 or vice versa to hold the water management header 74 together. In this embodiment, it is not necessary to weld or braze the inverted waterway primary outlet 62 (or waterway primary inlet, if configured similarly) to the tube sheet 27 as sufficient compression to form a water tight seal between active components is provided by the fasteners in the water management header 74.

One or more features described herein may be integrally formed as one unitary component. Employing one component that includes one or more features of embodiments of the present invention enables simpler manufacturing, reduced build times, and is more cost efficient. However, as one or more features that enable variation of the fluid flow are formed of one integral component, the flexibility of the fluid flow (e.g., the ability to modify the fluid flow characteristics such as the number of passes, the velocity of the fluid, etc.) is reduced. Accordingly, aspects of the present invention enable one of skill in the art to advantageously design boilers or water heaters with a balance between the amount of flexibility of the fluid flow and the easy of manufacture.

With reference to FIGS. 12A-12B, an inverted top manifold 210 for the top header 50 may be formed as one component that integrally includes the inverted waterway primary outlet 262, the barriers 236, the crossovers 214, the retainer 272, and the seal 228. With reference to FIGS. 13A-13B, an inverted lower manifold 220 for the lower header 52 may be formed as one component that integrally includes the inverted primary waterway inlet 226, the barriers 236, the crossovers 214, the retainer 272, the gasket 266, and the seal 228. The inverted top manifold 210 and the inverted lower manifold 220 may be employed in the top header 50 and the lower head 52, respectively.

In an embodiment employing the inverted manifolds 210 and 220, depicted in FIGS. 12-13, fluid (e.g., water) enters the lower header 52 of the water heater or boiler 2 by flowing through the fluid inlet 22, through inlet through hole 46, and into a region encapsulated by the lower cover 44, e.g., the undivided waterway of the lower header 52. The fluid may be in contact with the top surface 222 of the lower inverted manifold 220 while in the region encapsulated by the lower cover 44. The gasket 66 may be molded to fit directly under the inverted top manifold 210 and/or the inverted lower manifold 220 to seal the fluid within the top cover 12 and/or the lower cover 44. Subsequently, the fluid flows into one or more of the outer series of tubes 8 that are in fluid communication with the region encapsulated by the lower cover 44 of the lower head 52.

After passing through one or more of the determined outer series of tubes 8, the fluid may enter the crossover portion 214 of the upper inverted manifold 210. The crossover portion 214 of the inverted top manifold 210 preferably redirects the water into another tube of the outer series of tubes 8, but may in some embodiments redirect the water into one or more of the inner series of tubes 6. The number of additional passes through the outer series of tubes 8 depends on various factors described herein such as, e.g., the number of crossovers 214, the number of outer tubes 8, and the volumetric flow rate of the fluid. For example, the crossover portions 214 of the inverted top manifold 210 and the inverted lower manifold 220 may redirect water through the outer series of tubes 8 to produce a double pass, triple pass, quadruple pass, etc.

In accordance with the embodiment depicted in FIGS. 12-13, the fluid exits the outer series of tubes 8 and enters into a region encapsulated by the cover 12, e.g., the undivided waterway 18 of the top header 50. While in the region encapsulated by cover 12, the fluid may be in contact with the top surface 212 of the inverted top manifold 210. The region encapsulated by the cover 12 is in fluid communication with through hole 230, which enables the fluid to enter the inverted water primary outlet portion 262 of the inverted top manifold 210.

The fluid is subsequently directed into one or more of the inner series of tubes 6 by way of redirecting compartments 235 of the inverted top manifold 210, thereby making a first pass through one or more of the determined inner series of tubes 6. After making a first pass through the one or more determined inner series of tubes 6, the fluid flows into the redirecting components 235 of the inverted water primary inlet portion 226 of the inverted lower manifold 220. The fluid may be redirected between the redirecting components 235 of the inverted top manifold 210 and the inverted lower manifold 220 numerous times depending the various factors described herein, e.g., the number of redirecting components 235, the number of inner tubes 6, and volumetric flow rate of the fluid. For example, the fluid may be redirected through the inner series of tubes 6 to produce a double pass, triple pass, quadruple pass, etc. Although the barriers 236 are depicted as integrally formed with the inverted manifolds 210 and/or 220, the barriers 236 may be affixed at various portions, e.g., by way of the supports 34, of the inverted manifolds 210 and/or 220.

After the fluid flows through the determined number of passes, the fluid enters the redirecting compartments 235 containing the waterway outlet 243, which is in fluid communication with the water outlet 24. The redirecting compartment 235 that redirects the fluid to the water outlet 24 may be larger than other redirecting compartments 235.

FIGS. 14A-15 illustrate two embodiments of a water management header 140 and 150 in accordance with aspects of the present invention. Water management headers 140 and 150 are similar to water management headers 50, 52, and 74, but includes the differences disclosed herein. Accordingly, where water management headers 140 and 150 utilizes features similar to water management headers 50, 52, and 74, the same reference numbers are applied.

As a general overview, water management header 140 includes water primary inlet 38, barriers 36, and a tube sheet 27. Although FIG. 14A illustrates a water management header 140 having a water primary inlet 38, water management header 140 may in other embodiments be configured to have a water primary outlet 62. Water primary inlet 38 may be configured such that only edge portion 39 contacts and/or are connected to tube sheet 27. For example, edge portion 39 of water primary inlet 38 may be directly welded to tube sheet 27. Alternatively, primary inlet 38 may be directly adhered at edge portion 39 by way of an adhesive to tube sheet 27. In one embodiment, water primary inlet 38 may be connected to tube sheet 27 without the use of mechanical fasteners, such as bolts, screws, threads, etc. By directly connecting edge portions 39 of primary inlet 38 to tube sheet 27, water management header 140 may be configured without a gasket (e.g., an o-ring) positioned between the connecting inlet 38 and the tube sheet 27.

FIG. 15 illustrates another embodiment of a water management header 150. As a general overview, water management header 150 includes water primary outlet 62, barriers 36, gaskets 66A and 66B, and tube sheet 27. A method of manufacturing a boiler or water heater includes positioning a waterway primary inlet such that the inlet openings of the waterway primary inlet are aligned to receive water from the heat exchange tubes and supports of the waterway are located proximal to the water inlet openings. The method also includes selecting from among the inlet openings of the waterway primary inlet a set of inlet openings to be in flow communication with one another and positioning barriers in the waterway primary inlet such that they are retained by supports of the waterway primary inlet, permit flow between the set of inlet openings, and restrict flow between the set of inlet openings and other inlet openings of the waterway primary inlet.

Although the invention is illustrated and described herein with reference to specific embodiments, the invention is not intended to be limited to the details shown. Rather, various modifications may be made in the details within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims and without departing from the invention. Numerous variations, changes and substitutions will occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. Accordingly, it is intended that the appended claims cover all such variations as fall within the spirit and scope of the invention. 

What is claimed:
 1. A boiler or water heater comprising: a shell at least partially defining an interior region; an inner series of heat exchange tubes and an outer series of heat exchange tubes extending within the interior region of the shell; a header assembly positioned to receive water from the heat exchange tubes, the header assembly including a cover having an interior, a plurality of crossovers each being within the interior of the cover and in fluid flow communication with selected ones of the outer series of heat exchange tubes, a waterway primary outlet within the interior of the cover and in fluid flow communication with the inner series of heat exchange tubes, and a retainer within the interior of the cover and dividing the interior of the cover into an undivided waterway and a divided crossover area.
 2. The boiler or water heater of claim 1, wherein the cover and the waterway primary outlet are separate components, the cover being drawn from metallic sheet.
 3. The boiler or water heater of claim 1, wherein the cover and the crossovers are separate components, each crossover being molded from polymeric material.
 4. The boiler or water heater of claim 1, wherein the cover, the crossovers, and the retainer are separate components that together contain water and direct water flow.
 5. The boiler or water heater of claim 1, a waterway primary outlet defining water inlet openings positioned to receive water from the inner series of heat exchange tubes and supports configured to retain barriers between the water inlet openings, the barriers dividing a crossover area within the waterway primary outlet.
 6. The boiler or water heater of claim 5, the supports comprising channels shaped to receive the barriers.
 7. The boiler or water heater of claim 5, the barriers comprising walls shaped to extend across the crossover area within the waterway.
 8. The boiler or water heater of claim 1 further comprising a water inlet and a water outlet, the inner series of tubes and the outer series of tubes selectively connected to a plurality of waterway crossovers to provide for a selective and unique water flow pattern between the water inlet and water outlet throughout the series of tubes.
 9. The boiler or water heater of claim 1 further comprising a seal connecting the water outlet to an exterior volume of the water heater and sealing the water outlet from the interior of the cover.
 10. The boiler or water heater of claim 1 wherein the retainer comprises at least one through hole for accessing the waterway primary outlet.
 11. The boiler or water heater of claim 1 wherein each crossover connects at least two of the ends of the series of heat exchange tubes.
 12. The boiler or water heater of claim 1 wherein the cover comprises a curved cross section for reducing stress imposed on the cover by fluid pressure.
 13. The boiler or water heater of claim 1 wherein the cover comprises a half toroid configuration.
 14. The boiler or water heater of claim 13 wherein the cover comprises a through hole for allowing combustion gas to enter the water heater.
 15. A boiler or water heater comprising: a shell encompassing an inner series of heat exchange tubes and an outer series of heat exchange tubes; a system for providing a unique fluid flow throughout the inner series heat exchange tubes and/or the outer series of heat exchange tubes, the system comprising a plurality of crossovers for receiving fluid from a first heat exchange tube and redirecting the fluid to a second heat exchange tube a waterway primary outlet comprising a plurality of supports alternately positioned between a plurality of through holes, and a plurality of barriers engaging the plurality of supports.
 16. The boiler or water heater of claim 15 further comprising a header at an upper end of the shell, the header comprising the system for providing the unique fluid flow.
 17. The boiler or water heater of claim 15 further comprising a waterway crossover section, a waterway and a retainer, the waterway crossover section, the waterway and the retainer all within the header, the retainer being a barrier separating the waterway crossover section from the waterway.
 18. The boiler or water heater of claim 15 wherein the waterway primary outlet is juxtaposed between the inner series of tubes and the retainer.
 19. The boiler or water heater of claim 18 wherein the retainer is perforated to allow fluid flow between the retainer and the waterway.
 20. The boiler or water heater of claim 19 wherein the waterway primary outlet is configured to receive fluid from a first tube of the inner series of tubes and supply fluid to a second tube of the inner series of tubes.
 21. The boiler or water heater of claim 15 further comprising: a lower header, the lower header comprising: a lower cover comprising an inlet through hole and half-toroidal shape, a waterway primary inlet comprising a plurality of waterway primary inlet through holes.
 22. A method of manufacturing a boiler or water heater having a shell at least partially defining an interior region, heat exchange tubes extending within the interior region of the shell, and a header assembly positioned to receive water from the heat exchange tubes, the method comprising: positioning a waterway primary inlet such that inlet openings of the waterway primary inlet are aligned to receive water from the heat exchange tubes and supports of the waterway are located proximal to the water inlet openings; selecting from among the inlet openings of the waterway primary inlet a set of inlet openings to be in flow communication with one another; and positioning barriers in the waterway primary inlet such that they are retained by supports of the waterway primary inlet, permit flow between the set of inlet openings, and restrict flow between the set of inlet openings and other inlet openings of the waterway primary inlet.
 23. A boiler or water heater comprising: a shell at least partially defining an interior region; an inner series of heat exchange tubes and an outer series of heat exchange tubes extending within the interior region of the shell; a header assembly positioned to receive water from the heat exchange tubes, the header assembly including a cover having an interior and a manifold; the manifold having a plurality of crossovers portions each being within the interior of the cover and in fluid flow communication with selected ones of the outer series of heat exchange tubes, a waterway primary outlet portion in fluid flow communication with the inner series of heat exchange tubes; and wherein the manifold divides the interior of the cover into an undivided waterway and a divided crossover area. 